


Stardust

by TheDreamyWarrior



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Bittersweet Ending, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-03
Updated: 2018-10-03
Packaged: 2019-07-24 09:55:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16172732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDreamyWarrior/pseuds/TheDreamyWarrior
Summary: Years go by, and everything changes.Gems are immortal, but not everyone else.





	Stardust

How many years went by? 20? 70? 100?

The gems couldn’t easily tell, with them being thousands of years old it felt like everything happened in a second. 

But they know it didn’t, they know that time passes by, maybe with a different pace considering the longevity of organic beings, whose lives are milliseconds long compared with the eternity of the universe. 

So many things happened those days, so many memories. It’s hard to think that most of that went by the span of five years. The Cluster, the Diamonds, Homeworld. 

Pearl didn’t notice at first, it was like she snapped out of a nightmare when she noticed her baby was a grown adult, Garnet was already prepared for it, or at least she thought, her future vision showed her how it ended for him but still, she can’t let go. 

Amethyst who has been more acquainted to humans accepted it easily, her best friend Vidalia was already gone long ago, she knows these things happen. 

But even then, seeing how Steven was now over one hundred years old, wrinkles in his face and his hair completely bleached by the time. His eyes which used to have that spark of innocence were now tired, with his gaze lost in the tranquility of the ocean. 

He was already separated from Connie, his jam bud, his soulmate. They lived happily together, they had a daughter, they went on missions some times with the gems, at least while they were still capable of that. 

The fifty years or so woman was sitting beside him, gently stroking the curly hair of her father. She had a slightly dark skin, long wavy brown hair which was already showing some grey strands, and brown eyes like her mother.

How much had he left? She was already thinking about the probability of “Not much” as an answer, the Pink Lion that she had known since she had memory was acting like a housecat in that kind of situation, he was clinging on him the whole time, comforting him and trying to be with him. 

Steven was old, and Steven was dying. 

How is she going to tell the gems this? They were devastated when Connie passed away ten years ago, they are immortal, they didn’t plan to get attached to anyone that could die from old age, but this is Steven, the one who did so much for them, he was their son in a certain way. 

Nora planned that Garnet would be the easiest for this kind of conversation, she probably already saw it, she seemed more collected and would try to calm down the other two when the news are revealed. 

She walked into the house, the door to the temple ubicated in the back. She waited patiently until it opened to reveal the fusion. 

“You want to talk with me.”

“Yes I do.”

Garnet sat down in the couch, Nora didn’t and just stood up in front of her, with a knot in her throat. 

“I think dad doesn’t have that much time left.”

Garnet didn’t move, her shades blocked any show of emotion from her eyes. Nora thought that she took it well, but in a blink she saw the two smaller gems in front of her. Sapphire was weeping with her only eye, while Ruby was sitting on her left, one of her hands clenched in a fist while the other tried to comfort the blue gem. 

“Sapphire, please… we already knew…”

“I can’t… I just…” She tried to hide her pained expression with her hand, her voice was broken out of the pain. Ruby’s eyes started to let out some tears, she tried to blink them out. 

“Sapphire… this is what happens, we can’t do anything about it.” The red gem looked down, she was fighting to not break down at the moment. 

The temple door opened again, this time showing the slim, pale figure of Pearl. She looked calm until she saw the two small gems on the couch. 

“Nora, what’s going on?” Her voice changed from calm to concerned, Nora bit her lip, this wasn’t the ideal moment for her to show up. 

Sapphire didn’t say anything, she was still crying, looking at her hand with the ring in her finger, he had done so much for both, he changed their lives, not only hers and Ruby’s. Pearl, Amethyst, Bismuth, Peridot, Lapis… he was the one who changed everything for them. 

She remembered the day, it was on April, Bismuth came back as a surprise, she also made those rings. Many faces that were already long lost in time showed up for that day, Greg played a beautiful song like the one she hummed with Ruby when they first met, and Ruby… she looked beautiful with her white dress and the Hydrangeas pinned on her hair. That was probably one of the happiest moments in her whole life, the memento of her decision materialized within the silvery ring in her left hand, and in Ruby’s right hand was the other half of it. 

Nora felt a shiver run up her spine, the room started to feel cold because of Sapphire’s powers and feelings. 

Pearl was still waiting for an answer that no one wanted to give, they knew how she was going to react, and they didn’t want to see it.

Ruby swallowed her hurt and tried to tell her. 

“Steven is…” Her voice cracked at the end, she wasn’t able to say that word, her eyes let out a small tear, she put her forehead against Sapphire’s, not saying anything while the tears started to flow through her face. 

The light blue eyes of Pearl were as big as plates. Her hands slowly went up to cover her mouth, something she hadn’t done ever since she revealed the truth about Rose Quartz, but still being involuntary and painful to do. “No, it can’t be…” were the muffled words that her voice let out before tears started to flow from her eyes, her shoulders were shaking while she started to let out some soft whining. She felt like her legs were about to break, is He really going to? Why does the universe do this to her? To him? It wasn’t fair… Humans had such a short life span, she always mocked that about them, but now it was Steven the one who was dying, she always assumed she would have him forever, as the innocent boy he was. 

But nothing is eternal, sometimes even gems aren’t. 

Amethyst entered from the front door of the beach house, one of her hands waving in the air to show something. Her voice was really cheery. 

“Hey guys! Look at what I…” She brought a really weird looking shell, but the moment she saw Pearl, Ruby and Sapphire, all of them sobbing and with defeated expressions on their faces she stopped. “Pearl!” The purple gem ran up to the slender one, who had collapsed over her legs and cried more than she ever had seen do. 

The scene was heartbreaking, both couples trying to console each other. 

“Nora, what’s going on?!” Amethyst growled with hurry in her voice, looking at the woman who stood in the middle of it all. “Calm down P, it’s gonna be okay.” she switched to a more calm tone, putting a comforting hand over the other gem’s shoulder. 

“It’s not okay Amethyst.” Nora wanted to tell her. 

“Yeah it is! Nothing’s worth this much whining!” Apparently she was freaking out over this, there has only been counted occasions where they were all acting like this. It first occurred more than a century ago, when Rose gave her form to make Steven. The most recent one happened over a decade from now, Nora’s heart ached when remembering her mother. 

“Amethyst, I hope you take this better than them.”

Amethyst looked at Nora right in the eye, she gritted her teeth in frustration and took a deep breath. 

“Is it about Steven?” She looked at the floor, Sapphire, Ruby and Pearl were already calming down after this, but even then the words hit like a truck right onto their hearts. “Man, he endured a pretty long time…” She didn’t sound devastated at all? She sounded more… relieved. 

“Don’t cry, Pearl.” The purple gem caressed the pale one’s hair. “He’ll be okay.” her voice was comforting, a sad smile on her face.

“I can’t Amethyst, I can’t endure this once more…” She sounded hollow, she wanted to get into her room and cry alone, but Amethyst probably wouldn’t let her go now. 

“Of course you can, P!” She put both her hands over the slim gem’s shoulders. “If I could bear it, you can too.” Amethyst tried to reassure her, the best way she could. 

Nora was genuinely surprised, the youngest of all the gems in the room was actually being the most collected in this situation, everyone felt hurt about it and all, but she tried to keep her composure, maybe it was for Steven’s sake? He probably didn’t want to see them all sad about it. 

Who else needed to be informed about this? Nora was sure she was forgetting someone. 

And then she remembered, she was young the last time she properly saw them, even if both gems were present for her mother’s funeral they still were pretty absent during her life. 

“Should we tell… Peridot and Lapis?”

Everyone looked at the dark haired human, an uncomfortable silence taking the whole room. Sapphire wiped her tears. 

“They’ll probably be in an European country… Sweden it is.”

Nora looked at Pearl and Amethyst. 

“I really don’t want to talk with Lapis alone about this… I already know how much my dad means to her.”

“Nobody wants to talk with her about it.” Answered Amethyst while crossing her arms and looking to the side. “But I guess that Peridot would be enough to calm her down, and I can talk to Peri so…”

“Is there any warp pad for that place?” Asked Nora to Pearl. 

“Lion would be better for that task.” Said Sapphire with a hurried voice.

Nora looked at them all, then looked at Amethyst, both went outside the temple and looked for the big feline.

And there he was, just beside him. Nuzzling his almost immobile arm.

“Don’t worry dad, we’ll get your friends.” Nora said while kissing him on the forehead, all he did was answer with a nod and a weak smile.

It’s hard to say goodbye, but it’s harder to say farewell.

Because when you say goodbye, you hope for a next time, for a ‘once more’, for another chance.

But farewell, farewell is forever, a last time, a never again.

Peridot and Lapis said goodbye many years ago, but they didn’t know they would have to say farewell at some point.

Specially to him.

It was cold, very cold where they were, but they didn’t feel it, they were gems and there was something else warming them. A feeling, an action.

Green and yellow and purple and blue and more colors one couldn’t describe illuminated the starry sky, and the spark of love illuminated their eyes.

Earth is amazing, it’s beautiful and it’s always changing, nothing stays still on earth: not even life.

Both gems were startled by a pink gleam appearing near them, familiar yet surprising.

“Nora? Amethyst?” Peridot asked in confusion. “Why...how did you find us?” the green gem looked at both of them, and then went back to stare at Lapis.

“You look worried, is something wrong?” Her voice sounded soft, even if it had a small touch of annoyance because of the interrupted moment.

Nora stared at the blue gem with a notorious, painful frown, Amethyst took a deep breath before putting her hands on Peridot’s shoulders.

“Peri, I need you to cooperate with me on this because I don’t want to see the same kind of drama that was going on the temple,” The purple gem’s words sounded stern, her heart aching at the thought of what was going on. “You know Steven is half organic?”

Peridot nodded at her in response, with a confused stare.

“You know how...oganics have a limited span?” Amethyst stared at Peridot’s eyes, which just looked straight in realization.

The green gem’s hands turned into fists, shaking with impotence and pain. Lapis just looked at her reaction and let out a gasp, she understood what that meant.

“Are you saying…” Her slim figure started to shiver, Amethyst silently nodded at her, Peridot just stayed silent while looking at her own hands. “...now?” Her sweet voice cracked with the question. Can she handle this? She felt an urge she didn’t have for many, many years: the need to use her wings for another thing, different than travelling around the world with Peridot, different than a strategic move. She wanted to run, run from the pain and the fear and everything else.

A small groan woke her from the trance, followed by the soft touch of the little orange living pumpkin that followed them through all of their travelling. She then noticed Peridot was holding her hand, before getting on the tip of her feet to clean the tears that started flowing from Lapis’ eyes. The small gem caressed the tall one’s cheek, her own eyes glossy, trying to contain her pain.

“You can come on Lion...or fly to beach city,” Nora said softly, looking at both gems who carefully tried to comfort each other. “But I think you have to talk a little...just be fast, we don’t know when…” She didn’t complete the phrase, but everyone knew what followed up to that.

A silence filled the whole place, only with the whistle of the wind throughout the leaves of the trees accompanying them. The pink lion let out a small hum, gesturing that they should leave soon.

Silent stares were the only thing that they traded, just before the human and the purple gem got on the feline and left the same way they arrived.

How is death? Is it painful? Is it relaxing? Rest? Fear?

How do you feel when you die? He knew it was coming, but he didn’t know how, when exactly.

The sounds of the waves, the sea, the clouds and the sun. Today would be the last day he would see and feel them. But an end can be a beginning too.

Maybe he would see his dad, his mom, his friends. Maybe he would get to see Connie again.

In a wooden chair, just in front of the beach house, an old man was waiting patiently for his family to show up.

And he didn’t have to wait long. Because just before the sunset, sun hiding behind him who was staring at the never ending sea, two small gems showed up, behind was a tall, pale one, and just at the end a big one with rainbow hair showed up.

His daughter and a short purple gem came in minutes after, mounting his good pal Lion.

And everyone was finally gathered when the ocean and the green gem, accompanied by their living vegetable pet arrived flying from the horizon.

They were around him, teary eyes, frowns, wails. He never believed he would be this loved.

Bismuth was the first one to talk.

“Steven, I may have been wrong about you when we first met...but you have done many things to set me, and everyone else, free. You showed me kindness even if I tried to kill you, you let me hang out with my comrades and friends, you fixed many mistakes that weren’t yours during your life. You may even have thought you were a mistake,” She stuttered at that, blinking out the tears that started to form in her eyes. “But you aren’t, you are a natural leader, you have the greatest heart I’ve ever known.” Bismuth put her big hand over Steven’s, smiling. “You really are something.”

Bismuth couldn’t contain her grief, and turned around to cry alone.

Pearl crouched to look at his wrinkled face, and she touched it with her long, delicate hands.

“Oh Steven, when did time go so fast?” Her sweet voice was filled with pain. “I always talked about humans having short lifes, how insignificant they were,” She sniffed, and it was followed with acute wails before she kept talking again. “I didn’t notice until now...how significant you were, how important. You teached me so many things, about loving, being loved. I never really felt loved by someone until I met you, because you showed me so much kindness, so much…” Pearl stared at his eyes, at his tired smile. “I don’t know what a mother is...but surely I feel like you are my son,” She gave him a sad grin. “And I’m very proud of you.”

Pearl stood up, giving space for the two small gems, who were holding hands, to talk to him one last time.

“Steven,” They both said in unison, and stared at each other, before then looking at him again.

“How can I say it? Vocalize it? Even if Ruby changed how I saw the future, my destiny,” Her grip on the red gem’s hand got stronger at the memory. “you transformed how I saw my present, and changed the way I live. When I felt doubt about everything, about what was truth, what was a lie, what was real and what was a game,” Sapphire inhaled, even if gems didn’t need to, it was the only way for her to not feel overwhelmed. The possibilities of the future expanding and shrinking, like the heart of an animal, or an human. “you helped me noticing what was more important, what I loved, and what I wanted to do for those that I loved.”

Ruby looked at Sapphire, and then at Steven.

“You helped me as much as Sapphire, but you also assisted me in finding my individuality, discover who I was and define what were my real desires,” Small tears started to materialize in her eyes, but she didn’t really stop them and let them fall on the soft sand. “I want to thank you, even if words can’t actually describe how much.” A pained grimace formed in her face, and she hugged the love of her life, who was still beside her.

The bright light of both of their forms combining, and revealing again the usually stoic Garnet, who was weeping abundantly.

“We both love you Steven. We really do.” She hugged him carefully, and took a step aside, gesturing at Amethyst.

“Hey Ste-man,” Amethyst tried to keep her cheerful smile. “You’re going to leave me without a train partner...well, we haven’t really trained since Nora was born,” She tried to laugh with that, rubbing the back of her head nervously. “Just...what can I say that the others haven’t already?” Her grin slowly faded, until it wasn’t there anymore. “I’m going to miss you...so, so much.” And after that, the only thing she did was hug Pearl, who embraced her back.

“Stop crying you clods!” Peridot said loudly, everyone turned to stare at her, some sniffing or cleaning their tears. “Don’t you see it?! This isn’t how Steven would like to see you for the last time,” The green gem looked at him, whose smile only widened approvingly with her statement. “Because you taught me how to have feelings, and know each other’s, and if I ever...passed away, I wouldn’t like that at all either.” Her voice went small. “The earth makes wonders! Earth lets you learn a whole new way to live...and I’m relieved I saved this cloddy lump of rock. Because I can’t believe I at first tried to destroy it and it’s wonders,” Her eyes trailed around all the familiar faces, and she approached him. “I respect you. For all that you did for me, for us.”

Peridot looked at Lapis, who was far behind, her hands turned into fists and her gaze lost in the sky.

“Steven.” The ocean gem then looked at him. “I can’t say how much you changed everything for me, I believed I would be in that...thing forever, I had accepted it,” Her lips showed a small grin. “And then, I believed I was bad, and even if I ended up trapping myself in different situations. You did everything you could for me to finally fight against my fears, not let them keep me chained and finally know what is freedom...real freedom,” She then looks behind her, the calm sound of the waves of the sea. “Because even if I have wings to fly, I had only used them to escape until that time. And now I use them to travel, see the wonders of this planet that, even if it didn’t feel like home at first...I built new memories and experiences over them, now everything bad that happened to me...feels like a bad dream I had, and I couldn’t really believe all the good things were happening to me because I thought I didn’t deserve them. But you let me know that I have to accept the good in life, because it’s the way to get over the bad.”

Peridot nodded at Lapis, who even if she felt a great pain in her heart, tried to smile widely at him. Her beach summer fun buddy.

Nora walked beside him, and kissed his cheek.

“I love you...we all love you dad,” He slowly turned his head to look at her. “I’ll take care of them.”

His smile slowly faded, and everything turned black.

The gems noticed, and their smiles transformed in expressions of sadness and grief, tears running down their cheeks and nobody saying anything to anyone.

* * *

The beach house never has been so silent before.

Nobody knew who, why. But everyone in a minute started to look around astonished, some shared looks, others babbling. But nobody said a single word.

They felt him, his voice was heard in everyone’s minds, they knew it was him, because of his presence, he had done this before.

_ I love you too. _

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first thing I appropiately submit in here!  
> Hope you like it, it was pretty hard to make.
> 
> Give me some suggestions to improve my writing! <3


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